Other, far less harmful subway residents include the microbes
found in mozzarella cheese and bacteria found in garbanzo beans
(the main ingredient in falafel), which reveal a striking pattern
of commuting-while-snacking.

1. South Ferry still looks — on a microbial level, at least —
like it's under water.

If you've ever stopped at or passed South Ferry, the southern
Manhattan station that was flooded during Hurricane Sandy, you
might be interested to find out that most of your fellow
bacterial commuters are from under the sea.

Yes, two full years after Hurricane Sandy, the majority
of the microbes lining the walls of the South Ferry Station still
resemble the bacteria we typically associate with fish species
and marine environments. Ten of the bacterial species
the researchers found in South Ferry didn't exist in any other
station in the city.

While the bacterial environment at South Ferry reveals how hardy
certain microbes can be, the bacteria at Penn Station reveal how
rapidly that environment can transform based solely on who
travels there and how often.

2. The bacterial diversity of Penn Station changes by the hour.

"The dynamics of Penn Station suggest that, even on an hourly
basis, there is a vast bacterial ecology that is constantly
shifting around commuters," the researchers
write in their paper.

While one type of bacteria — Pseudomadaceae, a class of
bacteria typically found in the soil — is found most often
between 11AM and 1PM, for example, another class of bacteria,
Moraxellaceae, was more prominent by the end of the day,
around 5PM.

3. A large portion of the bacteria in the subway is from a
mysterious source.

Another important finding from the new research is that we still
know astoundingly little about the types of bacteria that
populate the subway, where they come from, and why they thrive
there. Of all the microbes the researchersdiscovered during the
course of their 3-year-study, nearly half don't match any known
type of species.

Before you freak out, you should know this: Exposing yourself to
all these mystery vermin isn't nearly as bad for you as it
sounds.

In fact, several
recentstudies suggest
that people who grow up in bacteria-rich environments — like
those that include different animals and insects — are better protected from
allergies and respiratory infections than people who spend their
early lives in "clean," highly urban ones.

You can check out the full interactive map the researchers
created to accompany their study here.